Arbitrage, Robot and Frank, and Skyfall come to mind.

Agree with a lot of your list. Some others: Pitch Perfect -- So much fun. Hughes-ish, but of the moment. Great theatergoing experience, great cast, amazing adaptation by Kay Cannon of 30 Rock. To Rome With Love -- Pure silly fun. Anna Karenina -- Not for everyone, but so much ambition and so much craft. Cool to see top filmmakers really swinging for the fences. Worth seeing on a really big screen. Holy Motors -- A dizzyingly weird love letter to movies. Cool to see Perks of Being a Wallflower, End of Watch, and Premium Rush on your list. All three deserved much more attention.

headhunters (92% on RT, now streaming on Netflix), People Like Us, Haywire and Seven Psychopaths

What, no love for The Raid?

Totally forgot A Late Quartet. Under-seen movie. Great performances from a great cast. Christopher Walken getting to play a human being.

I really liked The Sessions? Did you see that one?

Apparently, I got question mark happy in that last comment. ?

I highly recommend A Royal Affair, from the top of my 2012 list. The trailer is here.

Justin, have yet to see Arbitrage, it's on my list. I'll also check out R&F. Thanks.

Amos, I hear good things about Pitch Perfect, will check that out. Also heard great buzz about Holy Motors, have yet to see it.

All good suggestions and on my list to see.

Debbie, haven't seen it yet. On my list and moved up because of your recommendation.

I really want to see The Sessions, sure that will be one I recommend.

Will definitely check it out, thanks, Shaula.

Re Moonrise Kingdom: Mike Fleming interviews Wes Anderson.

I really loved Bernie, too, although I was only able to see it on DVD, not in a theatrical release, and I'm looking forward to seeing Sleepwalk With Me. I missed the chance to see Any Day Now (trailer here) at the Santa Fe film festival and I'm hoping for a second shot at it, too. And tomorrow we might sneak one more exciting film into 2012: Café de Flore (trailer here). If we manage to see it and it lives up to its promise I'll report back!

Depending on where one lives, A Separation may not have been available for viewing until this year. It was nominated for, and won, best foreign film last year - though I contend it was probably the best picture overall (not sure what factored into its exclusion).

In fact, I just checked - it had limited release on December 30, 2011. I think that qualifies! By the way, it carries a 99% fresh rating with a 9 overall and 9.3 from top critics. That's one negative review out of 143.

Wish I could edit posts: I meant I think that qualifies for a 2012 film. It didn't meet the requirement to run for seven consecutive days between January 1 and December 31st to qualify for best picture.

I'm fresh off a late night new year's eve screening of Don Coscarelli's (Phantasm, Bubba Ho-Tep) JOHN DIES AT THE END. It was available on-demand and I called it up at 10, it ended before midnight. Which is perfect. Because it instantly rocketed up to the top of my BEST OF '12 list. It is so deliciously twisted and creative and all done for a meager budget and, sans Paul Giamatti, no name actors. You can snag it on iTunes. I think it's also getting a small theatrical run later in January. Do not miss this one, it's bloody fantastic! (and I do mean BLOODY fantastic...heh heh) Happy New Year folks!

Both are definitely worth a look! Arbitrage feels like a sleek, compelling character drama from the 90s. Robot and Frank was a great surprise to me...a really good flick. Chris Ford does an excellent job world building.

I must vehemently protest the inclusion of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in this. While of course, it heralds a much-needed swing towards the baby boomer generation, it lacked so much in just, well, interestingness. My brother would tell me that I need to be older to understand. I disagree. I think I know a good story when I see one and I really don't think that that movie was good enough. http://sabinagiado.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/film-review-best-exotic-marigold-hotel/ My thought on the matter on the above blog post. Films I loved to death and want more of: Prometheus (please God, more) Looper (much much more) Beasts of the Southern Wild I haven't seen much of what's on everyone else's list because I've been in Sri Lanka most of the year where everything comes in very late, if it shows up at all. Jack Reacher and Skyfall were excellent, top-notch, very entertaining examples of action movies, though hardly groundbreaking. More of the same for action films though well, it works.